Reply To: Evinrude Fastwin 18 HP 15032 Leaking Around Exhaust

[Don]

Well, again, I would use the inline neon testers before ripping into the ignition again….Let’s do what we can to avoid confusion here. If you are worried about the timing, then I would use a timing light on the engine…Do this at night/dusk so you can see the light clearly. The flywheel pointer should be in between the two marks on the mag plate if the timing is OK. Using the timing light will also tell us if ignition is intermittent. You should see a steady flash of the timing light, intermittent flashes mean ignition issues on that cylinder. Please be careful though, don’t confuse false indications from timing light/neon testers with an actual problem…Be sure to isolate the timing light sensor/neon tester connections from ground/case. And, once again, I would try different plugs, just cuz they are new doesn’t mean they are any good. Keep in mind that bad plugs can affect what you see on the neon testers and timing light also…
The choke linkage “looks correct”, but I haven’t seen or worked with one of these engines lately. The little spring is there to pull the choke closed, but allows the choke to crack open slightly once started to avoid flooding. The horizontal link up top is what pulls the carb butterfly open slightly, kind of like the fast idle set up on automotive carbs. All this linkage relies on the flimsy plastic bushing that surrounds the white plastic choke lever….The choke won’t close fully/stay closed if that silly plastic bushing is worn. The link on the right side of the spring is the actual choke shaft, so I would try to push it back toward the spark plugs with the choke lever pulled out all the way to see if the choke is closing fully. Keep in mind that a lack of friction in the bushing will cause the choke to vibrate open slightly while cranking. So, I guess a good test would be to pull it over a few times with the choke lever out, then go back to see if the choke is still closed fully…